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Tulsa's own The Red Alert

In 2003, 14-year-old Hank Hanewinkel III and his sister, 8-year-old Christy E. Hanewinkel, talked their parents into driving them to OKC to see the White Stripes.

Hank had been playing drums since he was in diapers and guitar for several years, but Christy wasn't motivated until she saw Meg White pound the drumkit that night. In less than a month, Hank taught Christy to play 20 White Stripes songs and talked his father, Hank Charles, into recording them at his Valcour Sound studio in Tulsa.

Things happened fairly quickly after that. Radio airplay on the Edge Homegroan show, and RSU Radio - Davit Souders of Diabolical Productions booked them to open for the Starlight Mints in Tulsa and play Freakers Ball at Cain's Ballroom. Their performances all led to a Tulsa World SPOT Award Rising Star nomination in 2004, which they ended up winning.

In August 2005, Hank and Christy met the White Stripes. Jack and Meg White were impressed by what they saw. The duo then changed its name to The Red Alert and released an original album in December 2005 called "Put On Your Game Face." The Tulsa World Sports Extra is using the title track to promote its new site, which launches on Aug. 3.

In February 2006, The Red Alert won the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Battle of the Bands at Cain's Ballroom. This led to them being chosen National Battle of the Bands winners. After releasing "Put On Your Game Face," their uncle Phillip joined the band playing bass guitar. In June of 2006 the band won the first annual "Debbie Campbell Young Musicians Award" from the Reaching Hands Foundation. They played the Warped Tour in Dallas and then three shows in St. Louis including a network TV appearance on "Show Me St.Louis."

For the second year in a row, Christy performed at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in the HOPE Divas benefit show. In 2006, the Red Alert snagged the Tulsa World SPOT Awards for "Artist of the Year" and "Album of the Year." In 2007, the band's music video was featured in the DVD-ROM in the book "Come Together: the Official John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Guide to Music and Video." In March 2007 the band released a six-song EP titled "Extended Play," and have played many shows since. In 2007, the band won "Best Rock Act" from the Tulsa World SPOT Music Awards.

The band's latest album "Audible Frequency" comes out in August.

Learn more and listen to The Red Alert at www.myspace.com/theredalert

This Friday, July 3, The Red Alert will perform at the Tulsa PAC at 8 p.m.